U.S. patent number 10,179,495 [Application Number 15/411,767] was granted by the patent office on 2019-01-15 for system and method for adjusting a motor vehicle chassis.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Ford Global Technologies, LLC. The grantee listed for this patent is Ford Global Technologies, LLC. Invention is credited to Simon Baales, Martin Saeger, Michael Seemann.
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United States Patent |
10,179,495 |
Saeger , et al. |
January 15, 2019 |
System and method for adjusting a motor vehicle chassis
Abstract
An adjustment system and method for adjusting a chassis property
of a motor vehicle wherein an understeering sensitivity of the
motor vehicle is increased upon detecting that a trailer has been
coupled to the motor vehicle. A detection unit operates to detect
when a trailer is attached or coupled to the motor vehicle.
Inventors: |
Saeger; Martin (Pulheim,
DE), Baales; Simon (Cologne, DE), Seemann;
Michael (Koln, DE) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Ford Global Technologies, LLC |
Dearborn |
MI |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Ford Global Technologies, LLC
(Dearborn, MI)
|
Family
ID: |
59295729 |
Appl.
No.: |
15/411,767 |
Filed: |
January 20, 2017 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20170210193 A1 |
Jul 27, 2017 |
|
Foreign Application Priority Data
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|
|
|
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Jan 22, 2016 [DE] |
|
|
10 2016 200 926 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60G
21/005 (20130101); B60G 11/26 (20130101); B60G
17/017 (20130101); B60G 2500/324 (20130101); B60G
2400/104 (20130101); B60G 2500/30 (20130101); B60G
2400/60 (20130101); B60G 2800/9122 (20130101); B60G
2300/044 (20130101); B60G 2401/14 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B60G
21/00 (20060101); B60G 11/26 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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102004040876 |
|
Dec 2005 |
|
DE |
|
102006052698 |
|
May 2007 |
|
DE |
|
102006054703 |
|
Jan 2008 |
|
DE |
|
102009022302 |
|
Nov 2010 |
|
DE |
|
2013043 |
|
May 2010 |
|
EP |
|
Primary Examiner: Condra; Darlene P
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Coppiellie; Raymond L. Burgess Law
Office, PLLC
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A system for adjusting a chassis property of a motor vehicle
comprising: a front axle; a rear axle; an adjustable chassis
adjuster associated with one of the front axle and rear axle
effective to increase vehicle understeer; a detector; and a
controller connected to and adjusting said adjustable chassis
adjuster based on a trailer attached signal from said detector.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein said adjustable chassis adjuster
includes a lateral stabilizer member.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein said adjustable chassis adjuster
includes an active lateral stabilizer member having an
actuator.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein said adjustable chassis adjuster
includes a vertical chassis actuator.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein said adjustable chassis adjuster
includes an air spring.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein said detector includes a contact
detector positioned between a trailer hitch on the vehicle and a
trailer.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein said detector is a yaw or lateral
acceleration sensor.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein said detector is a camera.
9. The system of claim 1 wherein said detector is a proximity
sensor.
10. A system for adjusting a motor vehicle comprising: a front
axle; a rear axle; an adjustable chassis adjuster associated with
one of the front axle and rear axle; a detector generating a
trailer attached signal; and a controller receiving said trailer
attached signal and signaling said adjustable chassis adjuster to
increase an understeer of the motor vehicle when said trailer
attached signal is received.
11. The system of claim 10 wherein the system increases the vehicle
understeer characteristic by increasing roll stability of a front
axle.
12. The system of claim 10 wherein the system increases the vehicle
understeer characteristic by reducing roll stability of the rear
axle.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for operating
a motor vehicle and more specifically to adjusting a chassis
property of a motor vehicle pulling a trailer.
2. Description of Related Art
Roll control systems are used in motor vehicles to counteract a
rolling motion, also referred to as rolling, of the motor vehicle
when an irregularity in the road or a cornering maneuver results in
compression or rebound of a single wheel of an axle. The roll
control system transfers the movement of the vehicle body,
generated by the springing, to the other side of the vehicle. A
torsion property of the roll control system induces a damping and a
delay of the transfer and, therefore, induces a more favorable
dynamic behavior. Roll control systems can be provided either on
the front axle, the rear axle, or on both the front and rear axles
of the motor vehicle.
Active stabilizers, within the scope of active roll control (ARC),
are becoming increasingly widespread in motor vehicles having a
high center of gravity, and in sport vehicles. Active roll control
enables adapting the roll properties of the vehicle to different
driving situations and personal preferences of the driver by
changing the mechanical transfer properties of the stabilizer. For
example, active roll control influences understeering behavior of
the motor vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A method for adjusting a chassis property of a motor vehicle
including the step of increasing an understeering sensitivity of
the motor vehicle upon detecting that a trailer has been coupled to
the motor vehicle.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become
apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It
should be understood that the detailed description and specific
examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the
invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are
not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will become more fully understood from the
detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic, block diagram of a motor vehicle and trailer
according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic, block diagram of a motor vehicle according
to a second exemplary embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a schematic sequence of an exemplary
embodiment of the method according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely
exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the
invention, its application, or uses.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a motor vehicle 10 according to the invention in
a first and second exemplary embodiment. A trailer 11 is coupled to
the motor vehicle 10. A trailer hitch 22 attached to the motor
vehicle 10 includes, in particular, a trailer coupling and a
trailer socket.
As illustrated, the trailer 11 includes wheels. As used herein, the
term `trailer" should also include components, structures, or
devices that can be mounted on the trailer hitch or rear of the
vehicle and which do not have wheels of their own, for example
bicycle carriers.
The motor vehicle 10 is a two-track motor vehicle 10 having a
chassis including a front axle 12 and a rear axle 15. One wheel 20
is assigned to each axle 12, 15 on each side of the motor vehicle.
The wheels 20 are each mounted on a wheel suspension 21. The
chassis of the motor vehicle 10 permits a compression of the
individual wheels 20.
FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the motor vehicle 10 having at
least one roll control system, in the present example an adjustable
chassis adjuster, seen generally at 7, 9 designed for influencing a
roll behavior of the motor vehicle 10. FIG. 2 shows a second
embodiment of the motor vehicle 10 having at least one roll control
system, shown as an adjustable chassis adjuster, seen generally at
23, designed for influencing a roll behavior of the motor vehicle
10. As shown in FIG. 1 the chassis adjuster 7, 9 can be a
stabilizer adjustment device, for example an active lateral
stabilizer or as shown in FIG. 2 the chassis adjuster 23 can be a
vertical chassis actuator, for example an active suspension
actuator.
In the first embodiment, at least one axle 12, 15 of the motor
vehicle 10 includes a chassis adjuster 7, 9 shown as an adjustable
stabilizer 13, 16. The stabilizer 13, 16 is used for roll
stabilization and transfers the movement of the vehicle body,
generated by the springing on one side of the vehicle, to the
opposite side of the vehicle. The stabilizer 13, 16 includes a
stabilizer adjustment device 14, 17, to carry out adjustments. The
stabilizer adjustment device 14, 17 is designed for varying the
ways that the stabilizer 13, 16 transfers torque, by way of varying
the torsional stiffness of the stabilizer 13, 16 and/or applying a
defined torque to the stabilizer 13, 16. For example, the
stabilizer adjustment device 14, 17 is a rotary actuator. In FIG.
1, the motor vehicle 10 includes, on its front axle 12, a front
stabilizer 13 having a front stabilizer adjustment device 14 and,
on its rear axle 15, a rear stabilizer 16 having a rear stabilizer
adjustment device 17.
In the second embodiment, see FIG. 2, at least one axle 12, 15 of
the motor vehicle 10 includes a vertical chassis actuator 23 for
each wheel suspension 21. The vertical chassis actuators 23 are
likewise uses for the roll stabilization of the motor vehicle 10
and are designed for adjusting wheel load differences between the
right and the left wheels 20. In FIG. 2, the motor vehicle 10
includes a vertical chassis actuator for each wheel 20 on the front
axle 12 and a chassis actuator 23 for each wheel on the rear axle
15.
The motor vehicle 10 also includes a control unit or controller 18
designed for controlling the at least one chassis adjuster 14, 17,
23.
The motor vehicle 10 also includes a detection unit or detector 19
operating to detect whether a trailer 11 is attached to the motor
vehicle 10. The detection unit 19 can be designed for detecting an
attached trailer 11, for example, based on contact information
generated by a contact switch positioned between the trailer hitch
22 and the trailer 11. Detection may also be based on information
regarding handling the vehicle. In this way, contact information
could arise due to the trailer hitch 22 being utilized. Information
regarding the handling could be a yaw behavior and/or a lateral
acceleration behavior in relation to steering commands from the
driver. Other detectors or detection mechanisms such as cameras and
proximity sensors could also be used. The detection unit 19
generates a signal based on the presence of a trailer, supplies the
signal to, and can be integrated into the control unit 18.
FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of the adjustment method 30 from a start
31 to an end 37. The motor vehicle 10 according to the invention is
designed for carrying out the adjustment method 30.
In the adjustment method 30 according to the invention, upon
detecting that a trailer 11 has been coupled to the motor vehicle
10, the motor vehicle 10 is adjusted to have greater understeering
than when a trailer 11 has not been coupled to the motor vehicle
10. The motor vehicle 10 is brought from a current setting into a
desired setting such as trailer mode. In the desired setting or
trailer mode, the motor vehicle preferably has an understeering
characteristic. In the motor vehicle 10, an understeer gradient is
also increased; in particular, an understeer gradient is generated,
which is greater than zero.
For this purpose, in step 32 the method according to one example
thereof ascertains or obtains at least one piece of information for
determining whether a trailer 11 is coupled to the motor vehicle
10. The piece of information is, for example, a piece of contact
information, sensor information, a value for a lateral acceleration
or a value for a yaw rate of the motor vehicle 10.
The method, in step 33, carries out a comparison 33, to evaluate
the information and determine if the trailer 11 is coupled to the
vehicle 10. In this step, the information obtained in step 32 is
compared to known, stored information.
In step 34, the method determines the existing chassis setting.
In step 35, the method determines if the existing chassis setting
conforms to or is the desired chassis setting. If so, the method
moves to step 37 and ends.
In step 36, the method adjusts the vehicle chassis setting to the
desired chassis setting based on a determination that a trailer 11
is currently coupled to the motor vehicle 10. At least one chassis
adjuster 7, 9, 23 is adjusted and the chassis of the motor vehicle
10 is brought into a desired setting, in which the motor vehicle 10
has a greater tendency toward understeering than in a previously
set normal setting without a trailer 11. For this purpose, the roll
stability is adjusted at least for one axle 12, 15 of the motor
vehicle 10. In this way, a roll stability of the front axle 12 of
the motor vehicle 10 can be increased and/or a roll stability of
the rear axle 15 of the motor vehicle 10 can be reduced.
To increase the roll stability of the front axle 12, the front
stabilizer 13 assigned to the front axle 12 can be set to have
greater torsional stiffness. The stabilizer rate at the front axle
is thereby increased. Alternatively, the vertical chassis actuators
23 on the front axle 12 can be adjusted to increase the wheel load
differences between the right and the left wheels 20.
To decrease the roll stability of the rear axle 15, the rear
stabilizer 16 assigned to the rear axle 15 can be set to have less
torsional stiffness. The stabilizer rate at the rear axle is
thereby decreased. Preferably, the front axle 12 is set to have
greater roll stability than the rear axle 15. Alternatively, the
vertical chassis actuators 23 on the rear axle 15 can be adjusted
decrease the wheel load differences between the right and the left
wheels 20.
According to one embodiment of the method according to the
invention, an understeering sensitivity of the motor vehicle is
increased upon determining that a trailer has been coupled to the
motor vehicle. The chassis design can be advantageously adapted to
the situation to achieve increased handling of the motor vehicle in
the trailer mode.
In one embodiment of the method according to the invention, a front
axle of the motor vehicle is adjusted to be more roll-stabilized
than a rear axle of the motor vehicle. As a result, the
understeering readiness of the motor vehicle is increased in a
simple way.
In a further embodiment of method according to the invention, a
front stabilizer assigned to the front axle is adjusted to have
greater torsional stiffness. Additionally or alternatively, a rear
stabilizer assigned to the rear axle is adjusted to have less
torsional stiffness. As a result, an active stabilizer on the front
axle and/or on the rear axle, which are/is already utilized in
motor vehicles, can be utilized for the adjustment.
In a further embodiment of the method according to the invention,
vertical chassis actuators, rather than the stabilizers, are
adjusted. In this way, two vertical chassis actuators assigned to
the front axle are adjusted to increase wheel load differences
between the right wheel and the left wheel. Alternatively or
additionally, two vertical chassis actuators assigned to the rear
axle are adjusted for decreasing wheel load differences between the
right wheel and the left wheel. As a result, vertical chassis
actuators, which are already utilized in motor vehicles, can be
utilized for the adjustment.
As set forth above, coupling of the trailer to the motor vehicle
may be determined based on contact information. For example, an
actuator or contact switch provides information regarding
connection to the trailer socket.
In addition, coupling of the trailer to the motor vehicle may be
determined based on information relating to handling of the motor
vehicle. It is possible to utilize information collected from or
for other vehicle systems, for this purpose as well. Even a
trailer, coupled in an unintended manner, can therefore be
detected, as is also the case for a bicycle carrier, or any other
devices mounted onto the rear of the vehicle, that affect the
driving characteristics.
The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and,
thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention
are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such
variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit
and scope of the invention.
* * * * *